The basic mission of the combat soldier is to take and hold ground. Light infantry troops generally use foxholes for this purpose. U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,154 to Bennett discloses a reinforced utility mat which is capable of being used as an overhead cover for fighting troops using a foxhole. The aforementioned patent discusses a number of problems inherent in the use of foxholes and in the prior art methods of providing overhead foxhole cover. In addition to the problems discussed therein, incorporated by reference in the present specification, the mat presented in the Bennett patent is deficient in providing a foxhole cover which will allow soldiers to effectively use their weapons, since the mat lays directly on the foxhole, flush with the ground level which forms the top surface of the foxhole. Further, such fabric roll type covers are subject to collapse under heavy loads.
Additionally cover may be provided by construction materials, which are heavy, bulky, require a great deal of labor to use, and present problems in shipping, transportation, storage, and distribution.